This invention relates to methods and apparatus for servicing a telecommunication junction box having a plurality of fasteners, wires and electrical connections.
More particularly, the invention relates to a method and apparatus for accessing and crimping a wire in a telecommunications junction box.
Telephone systems in the United States and other countries entail the use of relatively complex wiring. Telecommunication housings or junction boxes which contain many strands of telephone wires are placed in cities, towns and suburbs throughout the United States. Telephone company technicians open these junction boxes and connect, disconnect, crimp, and otherwise manipulate the wire housed in the boxes. Each wire typically includes an electrically insulative coating except at points along the wire which are stripped to expose the bare metal wire.
Telecommunication junction boxes have a variety of names, including cross box, ready access point, pedestal, SNI (standard network interface box on the sides of homes), and demarcation point (typically in large buildings). Wires in the junction boxes typically are attached to binding posts, punch down blocks, screw terminals, or other electric terminals.
A large incoming feeder line with fifty pairs of wires connects to the pedestal. A plurality of smaller outgoing buried service lines extend from the pedestal to a plurality of homes or other building structures. Each buried service wire includes in its center two to six pairs of wires. Each pair of wires serves as one telephone line. A buried service wire extends from a pedestal to the SNI in a telecommunications box. The SNI (standard network interface) is the demarcation point at which telephone company service lines end and connect to telephone lines or wiring in a home or other building structure.
The two to six pairs of wire in each buried service wire are surrounded by a rubber insulator. The rubber insulator is surround by a layer or jacket of wound copper. The jacket further protects the two to six pairs of wire and serves as an electrical ground. Another layer of insulation is formed over the copper jacket to protect the copper. At times, it is necessary for a telephone repairman to cut through the layer of insulation formed over the copper jacket.
When a telephone company technician is accessing through a junction box door 17 a wire 15 in the junction box 16, he can use the tool 10 illustrated in FIG. 1. Tool 10 includes handle 13 and neck 11 pivotally attached to handle 13 by pin 12. The distal end of handle 11 includes hook 14. The technician uses hook 14 to engage wire 15 and pull wire 15 free from a bundle or group of other wires in box 16. Hook 14 may be utilized to pull a second wire (third wire, etc.) out from a bundle or group of wires. A wire cutter can be utilized to cut the wire 15 in half, if desired.
A xe2x80x9cbuttonxe2x80x9d 100 (FIGS. 7 and 8) can be utilized to crimp or xe2x80x9csplicexe2x80x9d together two or more wires. Button 100 includes a cylindrical opening 109 which slidably receives cylindrical member 102. U-shaped metal member 106 includes rows of electrically conductive metal teeth 107. Member 106 is fixedly attached to inner surface 110 of member 102. Member 106 includes outer cylindrical wall 105 and circular upper surface 101. When surface 101 is depressed in the direction of arrow G, member 102 slides into cylindrical opening 109. If wire ends have been slidably inserted through cylindrical openings 104 so that the ends are positioned under member 102, then when member 102 is pressed into opening 109, teeth 107 penetrate the insulation covering the wire ends and contact and electrically interconnect the wires. A variety of crimping or splicing buttons are known in the art. By way of example, 3M Company produces various SKOTCHLOK (TM) connectors which are used to splice together wires without having to strip off and remove the insulation from the wires at the points at which the wires are being spliced.
The tool 20 shown in FIG. 2 is typically used to squeeze, or crimp, member 102 after button 100 is inserted between gripping members 26 and 29 and handles 22 and 24 are manually displaced about pivot point 25 in the direction of arrows J and K to displace members 26 and 29 in the direction of arrows L and M to force member 102 in the direction of arrow G into opening 109 in housing 103. Button 100 rests against and is contacted by support surface 27, 30 and 31 when handles 22, 24 are manually displaced in the direction of arrows J and K to force member 102 into housing 103.
The foregoing procedure for manipulating wire in a telecommunication junction box has been used many times by telephone technicians. One disadvantage of the procedure is that it requires one tool 10 to remove a wire, requires another tool to cut the wire, and requires yet another tool 20 to crimp button 100 on a wire or wires. This requires a telephone technician to pick up, manipulate, and put down several tools while attempting to manually hold on to and manipulate one or more wires, a plurality of tools, and a crimping or splicing button 100. It would be highly desirable to provide an improved method and apparatus for crimping or splicing wires.
In addition to crimping tool 20, other tools typically carried by a telephone technician are illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 18 and include needle nose pliers 93, can wrench 98, a screwdriver 97 with a small flat head, a screwdriver 95 with a large flathead, a sni tool 94, a Phillips screwdriver 96 with a xe2x80x9cstarxe2x80x9d head, a pair of scissors 280, a sheath or cable knife 281, a flashlight 282, a punch down 283, bits 285 and 286 utilized in punchdown 283, a wire pick 284, and a can of dog spray (not shown).
A bolt 290 (FIG. 19) is used to open and close access doors in a telecommunication junction box. The head of the bolt includes an aperture with an internal hex surface 291 and a dimple 292 formed in the bottom of the aperture. A sni tool 94 is used to engage and turn bolt 290. The sni tool 94 includes an external hex surface shaped to conform to and be slidably inserted in hex surface 291. The distal tip of tool 93 includes a detent 217 (FIG. 14) shaped and dimensioned to conform to and fit over dimple 292.
The can wrench 98 is equivalent to member 98A, except that member 98A includes a hollow or opening 227 extending far into member 98A. In a conventional can wrench 98, the opening 227 is dimensioned to extend into wrench 98 only about as far as opening 223 in wrench 98A. A conventional can wrench is operated by a telecommunication technician only by utilizing internal hex surfaces shaped like surfaces 221 and 226 to loosen and tighten hex nuts.
It would be highly desirable to reduce and simplify the tool kit carried by a telecommunication technician to service a telecommunication junction box.
Therefore, it is a principal object of the instant invention to provide an improved method and apparatus for servicing a telecommunication junction box.